


we come from the foam-crested brine

by dotdotmoon



Series: mermay [4]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Established Relationship, Junmyeon's Birthday Week 2020, M/M, Merpeople, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Selkies, brief mentions of chronic pain, kinda addresses environmental issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24234514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dotdotmoon/pseuds/dotdotmoon
Summary: Junmyeon and Chanyeol might be stranded souls, but they are not alone.
Relationships: Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Park Chanyeol
Series: mermay [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1422040
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24
Collections: Challenge #2 — Merfolk





	we come from the foam-crested brine

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from _sea song_ by robert wyatt
> 
> i struggled and failed to fit everything necessary to understand this fic into 1000 words so here's some context:  
> suyeol run like a "shop" where selkies who cut ties with the sea leave their coats, for other selkies who had theirs stolen or damaged to find. chanyeol is a selkie who had his coat stolen years ago.  
> the other thing hinted at here is that junmyeon as a merman living on land can control water, but only if it's salt water.

"So how did you find us?" Junmyeon asks as they spread the coat out on the counter. It doesn't show any apparent signs of damage, looks well cared for. The fur shimmers, like it's been brushed very recently.

"An acquaintance told me."

It's the first they've said since exchanging _hellos_ , still Junmyeon waits for more, nods in reply when they remain quiet. They've listened to Junmyeon's explanations of the procedure, the risks, the benefits, signed the contract in silence too, swiftly declined the call when Junmyeon verified their phone number.

They're keeping a hand on one of the sleeves, fingertips white with the force of their grip. Junmyeon hopes he won't have to call for support; it's the first time in a long while Chanyeol's been able to sleep for more than two hours at a time.

He makes sure the webbing between his fingers shows, that they catch sight of the fine spine scales on his neck as he cautiously inspects the hem. Any patron's visit to their small shop takes a heavy toll, and Chanyeol told him there was comfort in Junmyeon being a fellow creature of the seas. "We'll clean and mend it, though I don't think there's much to mend here," he tells them. "Then we'll list it online. You heard how the service works?"

They nod, withdraw their hand from the coat when Junmyeon traces down the sleeve, checks the gloves secured to them with dark pearls for buttons, each a different size and shade. It makes something tug at him but he shakes it off, proceeds giving them a quick rundown anyway.  
Unless the coat has been claimed, they'll always return it—although he doubts they'll come back. They seem firm in their decision, despite the obvious distress, the sweat beading on their temples and upper lip.

The trail of water their furled umbrella leaves behind is a reminder of his own first months on land, when he'd fallen for the ancient tale of how avoiding water would ease the agony of parting with the sea. His legs pain him too much to go after them, and it makes him feel like a different kind of monster all over again. Junmyeon swallows down the guilt, looks the coat over again. There's nothing out of the ordinary about it, he thinks as he runs a hand over it. It's a shell, thick and warm but left behind to save two lives at once, like every other coat in their backroom—yet he can barely stop himself from pressing his face into the fur.

Chanyeol's clattering down the aged wooden stairs before he's done draping the coat over a mannequin for a first picture, before it'll be thoroughly cleaned and aired out. Junmyeon rushes to meet him behind the heavy curtain that separates the entrance of their shop from where they keep the coats. He's still drowsy, clumsy as he grasps for Junmyeon, making a content noise when Junmyeon fits himself into his arms.

"Yet another?" Chanyeol asks into Junmyeon's hair.

"Climate change refugee," Junmyeon says as he finds the spot on Chanyeol's back he likes having scratched. "Just my impression. They barely spoke."

He must have slept well, Junmyeon concludes when all Chanyeol does is hum and pull him closer. Most days, he bursts into tears at a mere mention of yet another mercreature fleeing the sea.

"Let me take over, your legs must be killing you," Chanyeol says.

They do; the cold water with ice cubes he keeps in a tub under the counter has long since turned lukewarm, stinging with a different kind of vigour than his usual pain. "I'll get the wheelchair," Junmyeon tells him. "Don't you want a bath?"

Chanyeol tilts Junmyeon's head carefully, places a kiss on the scales on his nape. "Can I take a look at the new coat first?"

"I locked up, so take your time."

They let themselves be soothed and warmed by their embrace, until Junmyeon goes to find the sea salt and Chanyeol leaves for the store front. He finds it in the bathroom, precariously shoved between his moisturisers and the scale polish sitting on a narrow ledge.

There's not a single sound coming from the store, Junmyeon realises when he slowly descends the stairs, gritting his teeth at the sharp stabs of pain that immobilise his entire leg for a moment, make him clutch onto the railing. It certainly is a wheelchair day.

"Chanyeol?" he calls into the silence. He'd usually hear Chanyeol muttering to himself, or hear the reflex mirror of the camera clacking.

When he steps through the curtain, Chanyeol is hunched over the new coat, stone-still. Junmyeon rounds the counter where the coat is spread out again, the dark grey of the fur at the sides bleeding into a white chest, dotted with irregular black spots, more beautiful than any marble.

There are tears running down Chanyeol's face, blotchy as if he's been crying for longer than the few minutes Junmyeon's been gone, and Junmyeon reaches out to guide them away, letting them pool in his palm.

Chanyeol's words are jumbled when he tries to speak, so Junmyeon places his hand on Chanyeol's, tells him to breathe with him. He doesn't need to hear what Chanyeol wants to say to know, knows that he found a coat, after years, after the one or two hundred that must have passed through their hands.

"Put it on," Junmyeon says gently when Chanyeol is out of tears, filled with an ecstatic exhaustion.

As soon as the coat is buttoned up, Junmyeon has to lean over the counter. The spotted seal on the floor just so fits into the space behind the counter, a barrage of earsplitting noises coming from him. Chanyeol looks up at him, eyes round and black, and Junmyeon's ready to blast all his savings to get them to the sea.

"I'll miss your ears like this," he tells Chanyeol through the tears, hot and calming on his cheeks.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading.  
> leave a comment if you can? and tell me what you liked about it!! i rarely reply to them due to mental health issues but: comments keep me writing. i also accept emoji strings or keysmashes if words are too hard ;;;
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/dotdotmoon) | [cc](http://curiouscat.me/dotdotmoon) | [listography](https://listography.com/dotdotmoon)


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